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The United States is planning to deploy between 1,500 and 2,000 additional troops to the Middle East despite expected talks with Iran in Islamabad, according to a report.
Citing a source familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington is continuing its military buildup in the region despite planned U.S.-Iran negotiations in Pakistan’s capital.
The report said the U.S. has recently sent additional warplanes to the Middle East and is preparing to deploy 1,500 to 2,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division.
A U.S. Navy official also told the newspaper that thousands of Marines are en route to the region.
The deployment plans come as U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad on Saturday for high-stakes talks with Iran aimed at ending the Middle East conflict during an ongoing two-week ceasefire.
Vance’s plane landed at the Pakistan Air Force’s Nur Khan Airbase near Islamabad at 10:29 a.m. local time (0529 GMT).
The U.S. delegation was received by Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Army Chief Asim Munir, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, along with U.S. officials.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also arrived early Saturday with his delegation, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and senior security official Ali Bagheri Kani.
Pakistan is hosting the negotiations, dubbed the “Islamabad Talks,” which are expected to be held in both direct and indirect formats and begin at around 1000 GMT.
Welcoming Vance and his delegation, Dar praised the United States’ “commitment to achieving lasting regional and global peace and stability.”
He expressed hope that the parties would engage constructively and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to facilitating a durable resolution to the conflict.
Two additional aircraft carrying U.S. delegation members and journalists also landed at Nur Khan Airbase.
Other members of the U.S. delegation include special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
It marks the first visit by a U.S. vice president to Pakistan since 2011.
Pakistani officials said the negotiations are being held at an undisclosed location in the heavily fortified capital and may continue for “several days.”
Dar will represent Islamabad during the talks, which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has described as “make-or-break” efforts to secure a permanent ceasefire.
Both delegations are also scheduled to meet separately with Sharif, a senior Pakistani government official told Anadolu.
Sources said several venues have been prepared for the talks, including the prime minister’s office and another location inside a secure government zone.
Islamabad has emerged at the center of international diplomacy after brokering a two-week ceasefire on Wednesday following weeks of fighting that began Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran.
Nearly 3,000 Iranians have been killed, according to Iranian authorities.
The conflict has also killed at least 13 U.S. service members, wounded dozens more, and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil transit route.
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